1. Field
The information disclosed in this patent relates to automatic inflation of freight dunnage bags for freight accommodation.
2. Background Information
Freight includes goods, cargo, or lading transported for pay, whether by water, land, or air. Freight carriers such as ships, semi-trailer trucks, and airplanes are designed to receive discrete units of freight for transportation. However, even the best designs cannot assure the integrity of the load unit against the varied hazards of dynamic forces incident to transit. During transport, one of the biggest factors of cargo damage is the forward or backward collisions between the discrete units of freight. Freight dunnage bags are used to help in this area.
A freight dunnage bag may include an air-expanded bladder having an inlet port to receive compressed air from an external air compressor. As freestanding members unconnected to the freight carrier, freight dunnage bags may be inserted freely between and in contact with adjacent load units to accommodate the freight by filling in the spaces between the load units. When installed, freight dunnage bags may brace loads, absorb vibrations, and otherwise protect the cargo from falling forward or backward.
Inserting compressed air into a freight dunnage bag is a tool- and labor-intensive process. First, an air compressor having an air gauge is attached to an air gun tool. The air compressor then is attached to an electrical power source. The freight dunnage bag carefully is positioned between cargo so that its inlet port is exposed to be connected to the air gun tool. This task is not so straightforward since the discrete units of freight often come in various shapes and arranging a freight dunnage bag among such freight to expose the inlet port is difficult and sometimes not possible. The weighty, bulky air compression device then is moved in proximity to the freight dunnage bag. The air gun tool then is attached to the freight dunnage bag inlet port. The gun is squeezed and compressed air from the external air compressor passes through the inlet port to fill the freight dunnage bag. The gun then is removed from the inlet port and the process repeated for each freight dunnage bag within the cargo hold. At the end, the air compressor, air gauge, and air tool then may be removed from the freight carrier.
Freight carrier operators spend a considerable amount of time and effort to install and expand typical freight dunnage bags. This leads to delay in delivery and loss of business revenue. What is needed is to address these and other issues.